The Indiana Fever didn’t let their injury-plagued 2025 season keep them from reaching the WNBA Semifinals, where they just barely lost to the eventual WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
The success this team had without Caitlin Clark (who only played in 13 2025 games due to injury) is a testament to the camaraderie and culture Indiana created under head coach Stephanie White. And those who followed the Fever know that while she wasn’t able to compete on the court, Clark remained active on the bench and supported her team in any way she could during Indiana’s unexpected postseason run.
Kelsey Mitchell seemed to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this support, if only because she played out of her mind down the stretch for the Fever.
Sep 30, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) dribbles between Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd (24) and Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) during the first quarter of game five of the second round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Kelsey Mitchell Praises Caitlin Clark’s Fever Locker Room Influence
Kelsey Mitchell shared a strong message about the locker room impact Clark continued to have in the wake of her injury during her October 24 appearance on Sue Bird’s Bird’s Eye View podcast.
“Within our locker room, [Clark] wasn’t trying to be bigger than anyone else, and I think the way her style of play, it ended up complementing me, it ended up complementing [Aliyah Boston],” Mitchell said.
“The one thing I love about Caitlin, too, is that we all love basketball the same way. We all have our different styles and ways of playing it, but the passion for it, with Caitlin, when she did play, compared to when she didn’t play, remained the same. And I respected that from her, because it could have easily not been that way,” she added. “You have people that come in and not want to do, or buy in, once it doesn’t go their way, or once unfortunate things happen and you can’t play, or an injury happens.”
“I can respect the fact that she kept the program, the program, and she didn’t let her passion for it waver. Because she ended up pouring in [to the Fever] more than she thought. It was dope, because she could have easily not been that person,” Mitchell continued.
People can keep pushing their weirdo narratives but it’s not going to work my backcourt is locked in 🤞🏼🫶🏼-
Kelsey Mitchell on Caitlin Clark 🥹 pic.twitter.com/DX08UusYdE
— Krys🫶🏼 (@GaterGoggles) October 24, 2025
Mitchell later added, “[Clark] wasn’t trying to… You can easily be a certain way, and her thing was just like, giving her her best. She gave us her best when she was in the locker room… You talk about a kid in a candy store, that’s Caitlin. 22, she is, in a good way, she’s a live light. And her personality shows in her game, and it’s dope for her.”
Fever fans are hoping Clark and Mitchell will get both give Indiana their next on the court in 2026.
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